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Sunday, September 8, 2013

Week 1: Welcome to 21 Things for 21st Century Educators!

Welcome to 21 Things for 21st Century Educators! This is the blog for our course, and it is where you will start your nine-week online learning journey. One of the great things about this workshop is that it is completely online, which means you can work on each activity at at time and in a place that is convenient to you!

This week you will complete your first two "things" for the workshop. This course requires hands-on participation and encourages exploration of the tools used in each activity. Don't be afraid to experiment. :) I promise you won't mess anything up. If you ever need help with an activity, please feel free to email me or even one of your other classmates for assistance. Email communication and responding to blog posts are essential to success in an online course.

Thing 1: Read and navigate a blog
Read the "About the Course" page of the blog so you are aware of the course content, goals, and expectations. Make mental note of any questions you have about the course.

Thing 2: Comment on a blog post and read other comments
Write a comment on this "Introduction" post introducing yourself to the other members of the course. One of the course expectations is that you communicate and share ideas with other course participants, so it will be important that you have some sense of community with each other, even though you won't be working together face-to-face. Be sure to tell your name, which building you work in and what you teach, and share something that will let us know about you as a person. If you have any questions about the course after reading the "About" page, be sure to list those in your comment.

Tech Tip:
To post a comment on the blog, scroll down to the bottom of the post, click where it says comments (if you are the first to comment, it will say "no comments"). On the "Comment as" menu, select Google Account and sign into your account if necessary. Make sure you type in the captcha code below the box if one shows up, and then click submit. Be sure to sign your name to your comment! To read comments posted by others, click below the post where it says "comments".

If the word "blog" is new to you and you're not sure what I mean when I use terms like "post" and "comment", be sure to check out this great video that explains it all.

21 comments:

My name is Cody Swearengin (Counselor Cody) and this is my first year in the Branson district. I am a counselor at Cedar Ridge Primary and Elementary (K and 1st graders). A little bit about me...I am a big Missouri Tigers sports fan and I also love anything that has to do with superheroes. I am hoping that this course will help me brush up on some of the things I have already implemented in my counseling classes, as well as introduce me to some new ideas or things to begin using.

My name is Curt Ivey and I teach World History at the High School. This is my 10th year teaching and 5th in Branson. I have to agree with Cody in that I am a MU fan as well. I am currently working on my Specialist in Curriculum, and it is all online. So this is a nice addition to that. I want to learn as much as I can about utilizing online education. I have a 14 month old son, who my wife (also a Branson Teacher) and I adopted last year. He is a blast.

As for the course preview, I have one quick question. Is there a way to work ahead and see assignments early? One of my favorite things about online education is the ability to complete assignments at my own pace. I usually will do multiple assignments at a time because my schedule is so sporadic.

I post the assignments each Monday. I do this so that people don't feel overwhelmed with tasks. Plus, it gives me plenty of time to create any video tutorials needed for the course. :) If you end up with a busy week, don't feel bad if you have to delay getting one of the tasks done. I'm very flexible with this course.

My name is Paula Bronn and I teach gifted students 2-6 grade. I been teaching a little over 20 years. I love my family, my job, technology, shoes, and Husker football. Sorry, I'm not an MU fan! LOLI was going to ask the same thing Curt did, can we work ahead? Some weeks are busier than others for me.

I am Barbara Head and I am the District Literacy Coach and the Reading Recovery Teacher Leader. This is my 5th year in Branson. I am hoping to gain the skills needed to implement technology and the literacy model.I am not a big football fan but I do like the Arkansas Razorbacks. My passion is traveling especially on the motorcycle.Barbara

I am Amy. I teach early childhood special education at the primary school. This my 14th year teaching. I am a die hard sooners fan with season tickets. Not an mu fan...lol. So we go to lots of ou football games. I am just hoping to get better with all things technology by participating in this course.

I am Melody Alms. I teach 6th grade and Buchanan Intermediate and I also have 3 boys, a freshman, a 2nd grader, and a preschooler. I love sports...I love to watch Pirate football, YMCA flag football, Biddy Soccer and trap shooting. My Freshman won the ATA National Trap Shoot in August.

I am very excited to learn more tech tools in this course. I was in TEC last year and hope to take E-mints SOON!

My name is DeAnna Sheets. I am the literacy coach at Cedar Ridge Intermediate. I have the opportunity to work with all teachers in my building (4th-6th grade) and their students. I am excited about getting to know each of you and learning some new tools or new ways to use tools I have already heard about. When I am not at school, I love spending time with my family and friends.

Hello everyone! I just jumped into this course a little late and I am excited to see what all it will include! I teach at the high school and have taught 9th grade American history for now my 7th year at Branson. I also coach Junior high football and I am the head wrestling coach. I just got married over the summer and so far everything has been great! My wife Kamber works at Dixie Stampede and she also owns her own boutique in downtown Branson called Cowgirl Clad Company. I am also on the MU bandwagon as well as a Chiefs! I look forward to see what all this class will bring and working with you guys!

I'm Mary Ivey and somehow I am later than Robbie Pitman! This is my 8th year teaching, 5th year in Branson, and 2nd year at the High School. I teach 11th grade Government and AP Psychology to Seniors. I am passionate about teaching kids to think for themselves, and love challenging them to think outside of the box. I am passionate about teaching others about the process of adoption and am an advocate for adoption culture. My husband Curt (who teaches just a few doors down from me) and I adopted our son in August of 2012. Roman is now 16 months old and is all boy. There isn't a day that goes by where I am not amazed by how precious and hilarious he is. I am always interested in learning how to work smarter not harder, and I'm sure these 21 things will help me to do that!